Month: June 2018

The Project Management Professional, or PMP, certificate is one of the most important certificates that a project manager could obtain. The test is vital to ensuring that you have the necessary qualifications to interview for project manager positions, whether you are interviewing at a major corporation or a startup. Studies also show that IT professionals who obtain the PMP certificate are going to earn at least 15 to 20 percent more than individuals who are working the same job, but do not have the certificate. That shows how important professional examinations such as the PMP can be!

These benefits are why it is so important to study for examinations in the right way. It is never easy, especially when you are settled in a work rhythm. You go to the office in the day and you have time to yourself in the evening and night. It is tough to break that routine, especially for studying. But if you spend a few weeks preparing for the PMP exam, or another professional exam that relates to your ideal job, it can help you in a major way. But what is the most effective method to study for these exams? Here is a comparison of two methods.

1. Reviewing All the Possible Material

The first method is the most straightforward – you will study every bit of material that could be related to the exam. Even though this method will take you a long time, it will ensure that you are fully prepared for anything the exam can throw at you. However, not everyone has an empty schedule to study for such an exam, especially if you are working in the meantime. That is why we need something a little more efficient.

2. Studying the Exam Itself

We recommend studying the exam itself, which involves doing a lot of sample questions and taking a few practice tests. You will start by taking a complete practice test before you study anything. Then, assess your results and see what types of questions or sections were your weakest. This will give you a baseline that you can use for the remaining study days. Focus your time on the weak areas and just spend a bit of time revising those sections where you got close to full marks.

The good news is that you can find a few reputable online sites where sample questions and practice tests are available. These are legitimate sites where industry leaders are vetting and posting sample questions from the most recent editions of these professional exams.

Say you are interested in the PMP exam. You would go on the PMP page on a reputable sample questions website, and it would allow you to check out hundreds of sample questions as you prepare for the test. The best sites even include question discussion sections, where you can check out how others answered tough questions – if you are unable to arrive at the right answer yourself.

When it comes to professional exams, it is always a good idea to prepare efficiently. By studying the exam through sample questions and practice tests, you will pass every exam at the first try.

A study conducted at the Durban University of Technology revealed that the majority of students cannot afford to pay tuition fees and as a result their academic performance is negatively affected. the majority of students indicated that they resort to part-time jobs to pay for their personal expenses and tuition fees, however, having to work part-time result in absence. The impacts of missing classes were mentioned to be poor tests marks and even failure.

The majority however, mentioned that personal expenses were not a challenge as they could afford. There were those who said they cannot afford personal expenses as well and would do anything to make ends meet. This proves the challenges that are imposed on students can be as a result of their backgrounds. Finance is a non-academic challenge that however has major impacts on academic performance of the students.

There were other challenges expressed by students that negatively affected their academic progress. These challenges include basic resources and access to. Despite the challenges the students expressed, they were still determined and hopeful in achieving their degrees. They shared their views on how they can improve their academic life despite the financial burden they carry.

The students were very optimistic and they believe that achieving this qualification can change their lives and lead to better careers. When asked about the progress of their course, they showed that things like workload were not much of a challenge as they advised others to avoid procrastination in order to be able to finish tasks on time and meet deadlines to fulfill their obligations as students.

Students feel that there are additional support activities that the institution and lecturers can provide to ease their academic progress. They mentioned being given extra classes for those areas they are struggling with and emphasis on important sections of the modules. They also believe E-learning can also be very helpful where lecturers can post notes and other information on blackboard for easy access. This will also help by giving them more time and come to lectures when it is really important.

They believe that remaining focused and working hard can lead to success. Little things like good time management can improve the students’ academic life. They advised that one should not stress and just remain focused. For those who were stressed, they suggested joining the campus anxiety support group and finding someone they can trust to offload.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Skype and other online communications media have allowed billions of people around the world to share ideas in a matter of seconds, mostly at a very low cost. These advances in computer technology are as remarkable as they are familiar.

But most people are not aware of how computers and Internet technology are transforming the way students learn. This emerging education paradigm is often called “virtual learning” and it has the potential to improve student achievement, educational access and schools’ cost-effectiveness.

This is completely different than the classroom method of learning. Online courses can give you not only the opportunity to efficiently balance classes as well as time but also more freedom to engage in other activities outside of class like work, sports, etc. Because online classes are different, learning styles and goals may also be different as well. If you are considering online classes or are currently taking online classes and are looking for some advice on how to optimize your learning experience, these four tips will help!

1. Find your motivation, then use it!

Online classes, however, are different from regular classroom ones because they are 100 percent virtual and are attended at home. Because of this, you are way more vulnerable to distractions that can make it hard to be motivated to sit down at your desk for an hour or so and dedicate time to your online class. A great way to fuel your motivation is to write out a schedule of tasks to do each day for your online courses; include a time period and the length of time it will take you to accomplish your task, as this will help you to hold yourself accountable and stay on top of your to-do list!

2. Cut distractions

Speaking of distractions, when you are engaging in your online class, try to take preemptive measures to reduce distractions. Social media, texting, music, and television are all huge distractions that can affect your participation in online classes. One of the biggest tips I can offer is to take breaks when you feel that you deserve one, perhaps to get a snack or something, and set a timer. During your break you can have the freedom to be consumed by all of your distractions; however, once that timer ends, get back to work! Doing so again helps build self-discipline and pushes you to get your work done faster.

3. Evaluate the routine of your teacher/course

Not all teachers run their courses the same way, and when it comes to online courses, you will find that some teachers hold virtual meetings while others encourage discussion board participation. Because of the nature of online courses, teachers and professors have to be mainly available through email or some other form of contact, which allows for you to get in touch with them at any time to voice any questions or concerns you have about your learning pace or your progress in the course.

4. Be engaged

A great learning goal for online courses, though simple, is to be engaged. Review your course documents regularly, engage with students on a steady basis (not at the last minute every time), and participate not just when you need to, but when something sticks out to you in the material! Not only will this show your professor that you are interested and invested in the course, but it will also enhance your own learning experience!

For most of the countries the age group between 15-25 years consists of an average of 16%. And this young group holds the role of development of a country. If the policy makers and stake holders can work hand in hand and execute the one key element in the most effective and poised way, then these youths can be the blessing of a country. And that key element is Education. If they fail in that, then it leads to the total disaster of the country’s social, political and economic aspects. There is nothing more dangerous than unemployed, uneducated or undereducated young people. The aims and objectives of education have transformed drastically through each generation. Education should never be something that is static. It should be able to cater the needs of the people according to the society they live in. This can be easily understood by differentiating traditional education system and modern education system. Education is not a privilege of a particular community or group of people. Today almost all countries have accepted the truth that it is the Civil right of a citizen to get education. But here comes the real question, does this right to education is implemented in real meaning. To make this happen and to make this worthwhile to the people, the education system of each of these countries has to ensure four aspects. Let us find out what these aspects are.

Extensiveness

Effectiveness

Equality

Employability

The policy makers and education stake holders should consider many factors while implementing the structure and purpose of education, particularly the demography of that particular country. They should be able to cater education to all citizens who fall in the bracket of that age group. Thus the educational system of a country should be extensive as per the demographic requirements. The kinder gardens, schools, Universities should be established in proportion to the population ratio. Not a single aspirant should be denied the right to education due to the lack of educational infrastructure. So, Extensiveness has become the name of the game. There comes equality, for centuries education was confined to only a particular community or some group of people. A large number of people were excluded from the opportunity to get the chance for education. There have been changes in that attitude after long struggle. But still it is a key factor – Equality for education. All citizens irrespective of any kind of social, economic and political barriers should have access to education that they deserve. We have to ensure that excluded groups are getting chances to get involved in the process of education. Or else it is the greatest failure of the entire nation known as global family. It is the responsibility of the country to ensure that, GER (Gross Enrollment Ratio) works equally proportional to the specific age group of that country. Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) or Gross Enrollment Index (GEI) is a statistical measure used in the education sector and by the UN in its Education Index to determine the number of students enrolled in school at several different grade levels (like elementary, middle school and high school), and use it to show the ratio of the number of students who live in that country to those who qualify for the particular grade level.Even though most of the countries were much focused in key aspects like extensiveness and equality in education, there is one crucial thing that they have ever failed or never focused much – Effectiveness. The quality of the education they were imparting. The quality of education became secondary to the quantity of the options that were given to the students. If the education is without a purpose, then how it can meet the needs of the people, so there arises the question, why this education? This can lead us to large mass of educated but unemployed people. Where we are going to utilize them or how we are going to work this out. If the education of a country never caters to the needs of the economic needs of a country or the skills expected by companies or organizations, then all these efforts to enrich the educational system will be futile. Various educational thinkers have always questioned the accountability of the education that was provided. Most of the employers have expressed their concerns that the most of the graduates are unfit for the job. There are job opportunities, but there is lack of skilled employees for the particular position. So there arises the question, what we have to teach them or make them capable of. Here the only solution is, the skills of individuals should be identified, and they should be given the chance to excel in their trade. And also the policy makers have to take into consideration what the employers require, what skill sets they expect from their candidates. Unless these are taken into consideration, our educated group becomes worthless for themselves and for the world. This should never happen.